Belariath

I was looking at the different gear in the game, and figured out what could possibly be the best gearing for a level 1 character, assuming they had the money. This is what I came up with...

15 Def Mod
6 Equipment Slots Used
17 Str

As monks can't use armor, and they only get +5 def every time they take the class, this means they would have to be level 25 to achieve that type of defense based on passives.

If we include enchants, which as far as I can tell, you can only take +15, that would mean that to reach that level of def, a monk would have to be lvl 40.

Now, if the monk is strictly supposed to be an RP class, I understand, and I'm playing him as such. I just thought I would point out a few things that I thought about.

Since Monks can't use equipment, my suggestion would be to have different 'schools' or 'styles' of martial arts that a monk could specialize in when they take the monk class again, and it would give them the +5 def bonus to make up for the lack of armor, but also give them a boost to a specific stat, allowing them to customize their playstyle. It could be as simple as just +dmg or +def, or you could let them have bonuses to specific stats. This way each monk could be unique in their combat style, would still be able to hold their own in fights, and not be overpowered since after +15 attribute points on tattoos, you could plot their progression linearly, and balance it based off that.

Dunno, just an idea.

So, without going too much into it

There is a combat system being worked on that would allow Monks (and other martial classes) to have skills/abilities that do not use/require magic.

They are not, however, tailored to the individual classes/races (yet). Functionally, Monks are in a weird place (and please, if I'm incorrect, may the proper dev folks correct me) in that they don't fit any 'particulars' --

I feel the Advanced Class needs an overhaul to better fit in with the theme of Belariath... the idea of asceticism is fine, but the Advantage and Disadvantage (the Disadvantage in particular) feels weird and out of place. Like, you're trying to make things infinitely harder on yourself unless you're looking to roleplay something incredibly difficult.

If the new Combat System comes to fruition, the Advantage would be outdated too, and perhaps we can come up with something a bit more flavorful to make the class, as a whole, more entertaining to roleplay with and as.

These are just my thoughts though!

I like Monk as being something of an RP class, but it that's the case, it should be defined that way. As an advanced, it just feels like the advantages and disadvantages don't balance out.

My solution would be to keep the +5 def every time they take the class to keep up with basic defense, but also give an additional +5 to a stat of their choosing, using the theory that they are training in a specific style and advancing in that style. Kind of like how you could train in Karate, but also Jiu Jitsu, or Aikido. Maybe +5 would need to be changed, but it would allow some control over the character build and develop a unique identity for their own character based off their training.

I'm not an expert at this, but giving my thoughts as to the reasonings

The cost allocation for a +stat bonus would be too high, especially every time they take Monk as an advanced class.

If we use the enchant system, a +1 to any stat except Stamina costs 800 mhl to be made permanent. So 800x5 is 3500 mhl they get as freebies. If they take Monk every single time as an advanced class (which doesn't always happen), we're talking 17,500 mhl worth of stats.

Even as a Monk who gives away all of their material good (aka mehrial), it's exceptionally difficult to come up with that kind of coin quickly.

I'd say, if there were any changes to be had, it'd be adding +5 atk in addition to +5 def every time they take the Monk advanced class. That being said, raw statistical numbers are boring in an almost purely roleplay driven environment (most combat is done freeform for general play and combat dice or GM specific rolls for quests/campaigns). I'd love to see the class be reimagined for Belariath, given proper colors and creativity.

However, I don't really feel good about calling the Monk a 'RP class', since it is an advanced class with combat capacities and benefits, unlike the Non-combat classes that fit the niche of 'rp class' a bit better.

All classes are 'roleplay classes' in the most technical of standpoints, it's just a matter of how you play them.

I'm having trouble figuring out how you got to 17,500. You said that +5 to any stat would be 3500. 5x800 is 4000, so an additional 5 would be 20,000, but that's the cost of 25 stats, not 5. At most, monks already get 4000 mhl worth of def every 5 levels, but keep in mind that's to forego using any equipment that may have enchantments on it. Basically, anyone with enough coin can get the advantage a monk has. Maybe 4000 mhl is a lot for some people, but when the only thing monks have is the def boost, and you can just buy that, it feels like the class is lacking.

Sanjin has the gist of it. It is a roleplay first channel and the combat system is kinda shoehorned in and is woefully lacking if you compare it to things like pathfinder or dnd or an mmo or what have you. Even the stuff we are working on is prolly going to still come out and be a bit out of whack as we aren't going to be changing the base system itself but just kinda adding fun things to do with it. Honestly if you're here for min/maxing (and Im not saying this is a bad mentality to have or anything), then this is just not a good place for it so when it comes to that aspect of the game it's more than likely never going to be as robust as other systems.

As far as your original idea, it could definitely work but not something we could give a definite yay or nay on until we hash out what we are currently working on and get it approved. And yes, I know "we're working on it" has been a thing for a ridiculously long time. I promise you we are working on a system, in fact this will be the 3rd or 4th attempt at said system. I can't guarantee that we'll use it but if you are up for it as far as expanding your school idea I wouldn't mind hearing more about it, just be aware that I may be a bit slow to answer back sometimes.